While entrepreneurial success is on the rise, reviews may have you thinking that customer service is on the decline. Here are four ways to give your best customer service every day.
Be Customer-Minded
First, you need to be customer-minded. You have to think like your customers to meet their needs. Chasing dollars won’t make your patrons happy. How would you want to be greeted if it were you? How would you want the employees to take your order and answer your questions? Putting yourself in your customers’ shoes can open your eyes again. Although you’re an entrepreneur, you are a customer for your suppliers and in your everyday life.
Expectation Management
If you communicate with your customers, then they know what to expect. If you know your supply chain can be slow, let your customers know what the worst-case scenario is ahead of time on your website, blog, social media, or all of the above. For example, if it can take three weeks for your unique product to reach you, you can tell your customers it will take 30 days to reach them. They do not care about your supply chain, but they do care about knowing when their shipment will arrive. While they are waiting, update them periodically while sharing more about the business via email. If you are making strides toward faster delivery, I’m sure your customers will want to know that. Make sure to include that in the status update email.
Sympathize
As a business owner, it can be easy to forgive the transgressions of other business owners. Use that same mindset with your customers. Be patient when you have demanding customers. Be understanding if you aren’t paid on time or at all and take the necessary actions. Do not seek revenge or display a bad attitude. You can lose more customers by responding harshly to one bad one.
Being mindful of your responses is especially important on social media. Do not combat negativity with negativity. Take the criticism for what it’s worth and focus your energy on improving your service and catering to your remaining customers. You can choose to acknowledge the comments or reviews by directing the customer to send a private message. Conversely, you can block and delete the person if they are causing a disruption.
Treat Everyone Professionally
The way you treat your employees shows the way you treat your customers. I have been in establishments where the employees were rude to each other, and it made me uncomfortable; I haven’t been back since. Private conversations or differences should not occur on the clock in front of customers. Any dispute or disagreements can be handled behind closed doors or on personal time. It gives the impression that your employees treat customers the same way and makes your business look poorly managed. It was not a pleasant experience, and they lost future revenue from one conversation. Limiting unprofessional conduct will improve your customer’s view of your brand.
Do you have other ways you give your B.E.S.T customer service?
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Flanice Lewis is a DC-based financial literacy advocate, blogger, traveler and breast cancer survivor. In addition to having bought her first house at 23, she is a graduate of Howard University and The University of Virginia. You can follow her on Instagram or read her work here on critical financial.
